The kaiser within
by Birdboy
Summary: A short story about Ken and his struggle against the evil that still rests within him... Another of the many sequels to Fallen Devimon's saga.


_Digimon Kaiser:_

_One of the worst evils the digital world has witnessed… A human who controlled and tortured digimon with his evil rings, said to be as sadistic as possible, whipping digimon with no regard for whether they were ally or enemy, or even whether they were under his control… No digimon who lived through those days three years ago could forget the fear he brought them, forget the horrors he created…_

_After his defeat and much soul-searching, he became Ichijouji Ken, one of the chosen children… He thought his darker side had been stopped, he thought that he would never again be a danger to the digital world… But things were not to be…_

_In that dark forest where their leader met his end, the Kaiser was reborn… And Ichijouji had not yet recovered fully from the Kaiser's first fall… His darkness had returned, and he was terrified that it could happen again, that his deeds would bring so many more digimon pain…_

"No… What have I done?" He said, those words running together with those he said after Wormmon's death, then looking at his hands once more… There was no blood on them this time, any darkness the Kaiser's return would bring had been thwarted, he hadn't had the chance to do much of anything in that battle… Still, if he returned to his former self… Well, if he were a digimon when that happened, he'd certainly want to be far, far away from the digital world, to say the least… And that fear was what brought him to the glacial time zone now, for perhaps with time running at far more slowly, he could find himself once more, before it was too late…

What happened to him? What drove him to accept Fallen Devimon's offer, to return to his horrible self, to even turn that horrible whip on a digimon once more, and Wormmon, the one who gave his life to return him to normal the last time, at that? Long-suppressed feelings of rage, at how foolish humans were? A raw desire for power that overwhelmed his basic decency, losing himself in conquest as if it were just another game? If only Osamu had lived, if only he hadn't made that wish, if only he didn't go so far in his attempt for power that other time… And now he lived, but it was a fearful life, only a matter of time before his gentle self was destroyed…

"Ken-chan?" Wormmon asked, poking the former Kaiser…

"Wormmon…" Ken said, looking softly at the one who had saved him that day so long ago…

_They're fools… Wormmon's the exception, but most in both worlds are cold, corrupt fools…_

_But can you put even more blood on your hands? Fools or not, they still deserve life, don't they? Don't they?_

"I'm not sure how much longer I can last… I'd like to think I only became the Kaiser because I was deceived, I really would, but…" He said, sorrow clear in his face… "Though the dark spore makes an easy scapegoat, I still know that part of me wanted to bring such suffering…" He added, softly, and then muttering under his breath, spoke these words… "And that part's returned… I'm not quite my gentle self anymore…"

"Ken-chan…"

"Osamu always spoke of how gentle I was, how I had softness he lacked… I'd like to say I became more cold-hearted for power, or because of some dark seed, or to emulate my brother who my wish took away, but…" He said once more, looking down at his smooth palms, no longer with any taint of blood across them… "But I'm not as kind as the harmonious ones seemed to think when they chose me… I do have a darker side, I'm not entirely a benevolent, caring spirit, I did turn to darkness not once but twice…" He said sadly, remembering how the outfit of darkness he wore once crumbled, remembering that fateful day when he realized what he had become, when Wormmon paid that horrible price to save him…

"Ken-chan… This is making you so sad, tearing you up so much… Don't worry about this, I'm your digimon, I'll protect you, even turn you back if I have to…" The insect digimon said, inching up to him with a bit of sorrow in his voice…

"Wormmon… Thank you…" Ken said, hugging his digimon…

_I don't think I could ever treat him that cruelly again… I won't become the Kaiser, for his sake if for nothing else… I can't let myself fall to darkness again, for Wormmon, I will remain with the light…_

_But can you remain with the light forever? Can you always fight on the side of good, always try to help others? There's a reason you sided with Fallen Devimon that time…_

_Maybe I can't… But I've caused so much horror to so many… I haven't even repented for what horrors I've committed in the past, and I can't bring myself to torture any more digimon… Besides_… He thought, looking over at Wormmon… _It would break my digimon's heart…_


End file.
